Persona 4: Expectations
by Bayanette Winters
Summary: The P4 group relaxes after the P-1 Grand Prix, but they're forced to bring in a new friend to counter the new insanities starting to come from the TV world. When everyone seems to have something on the line, they can't help but turn on those who have their secrets-even if it's for good reason.
1. Volume 1

Yosuke yawned and stretched his arms as they walked. Narukami's stared ahead as he ducked one of Yosuke's hands, narrowly avoiding a smack in the face. The friends had been quiet for a long time, but it seemed short-lived to Yosuke's pal.

"Yo," the brunette muttered. "Where do you think all of these new Shadows are coming from?" Narukami gave a small sigh. Actually, he didn't really have any ideas. Since the P-1 Grand Prix had ended, Shadows started popping up all over the TV world. Thus far, only one person had been taken hostage by the. Otherwise, they seemed pretty docile.

Yosuke saw the minor flicker of doubt in his friend's usual neutral countenance, and gave a nod.

"Me either, bro."

"Yosuke! Narukami!" A voice chirped. The boys looked up at Aila Sonnel, who waved furiously at them. Her brown locks bounced around her shoulders and her vibrant blue eyes shimmered excitedly as she waited for the boys to catch up with her.

"Heya!" She greeted when they reached her side. She smiled brightly.

"What's up, Aila?" Yosuke ruffled her hair, to which she gave a playful glare.

"Sorry we're late," Narukami interjected. Aila turned to him.

"It's okay. Where's everyone else?"  
"Chie and Yukiko both had something come up," Yosuke explained. "And Rise and Kanji both had to work," Narukami added, "so it looks like it's just us three today."

"That's fine!" Aila explained. "I brought someone, anyway!" She reached behind her to bring Naoto forward. The boys hadn't even seen the lady detective. Naoto flushed at the abruptly forced entrance.

"Aila," she muttered in embarrassment.

"Woah, how'd you get work off, Naoto?" Yosuke asked.

"Aila came by and found out that I had the day off. She insisted that I tag along with everyone today."

"That's right!" Aila said. "So let's get started with some shopping!" Everyone-especially Naoto-looked surprised.

"Shopping?" Aila dragged her towards the small-town shops, the boys trailing behind on their heels.

…

Aila thumbed through the dress rack in one of the stores, settling on a denim blue number. As it happened, Kanji worked part-time there and was hovering beside the guys.

"This one!" Aila suddenly exclaimed. She pulled out two dresses and turned to Naoto, a dangerous glint in her eyes. She hurriedly shoved the detective into one of the dressing rooms, tossing blue fabric at her. "Hurry and try this one on!"

"Wha-what?" Naoto squealed, her voice getting unusually high-pitched. The boys watched uncertainly.

"Should we help her?" Kanji asked.

"I dunno…" Yosuke answered. "Aila's kinda scary when she gets that look in her face."

"No doubt," Yuu agreed.

Aila had gone into her own changing room to try on a dress, and came out as the boys muttered to themselves. She'd chosen a yellow sundress with a knitted top and thin shoulder straps. One big white daisy sat on her right hip. She gave the ogling boys a grin.

"Cute, right?" She winked, then went to Naoto's door. "Are you ready yet?"

"…." Silence came from the other side. Aila knocked on the loose wood.

"Naoto-chan?"

"…I don't want to come out," the girl's voice came.

"Why not?"

"…"

"C'mon, Naoto. Come out."

"…"

"I'll come in there to get you," Aila threatened with a smile. Finally, Naoto opened the door.

The dress Aila had pickup for her was a navy blue denim fabric. It went straight from her chest to her knees, leaving the lower half of her scrawny legs bare. Like Aila's, it had thin straps tied at her shoulders. It was decorated with several useful pockets at the hips, chest, and the edges of the skirt. Aila beamed, bringing Naoto to the nearest full length mirror. She forced Natoto to look at herself.

"You look awesome!" She told her. Naoto blushed further.

"I look ridiculous…" the detective stated. Aila threw on the usual cap that Naoto wore, then put her hand on the girl's shoulders.

"No. You look beautiful, Naoto-chan," Aila insisted. "Plus, you still look like you in denim! You really oughta show your lady-ness more often."

"I don't know about that…" Even as Naoto said this, however, she looked at her reflection differently. Aila noticed easily.

"_This dress is perfect for you…."_

Suddenly, Aila got a solemn look. A memory was coming to mind…

"_Aila, his dress was _made _for you,_" another brunette had stated, holding her friend's shoulders.

"_I dunno if it's really for me, Mina…"_

"Nonsense! You look beautiful! And you ought to show it off to everyone!"

"I don't know that this is really 'me'," Naoto went on. Aila snapped back into the present at the sound of her voice.

"Nonsense. You look very 'you'." Then, in her memory's echo, she said, "If you're not going to get it, I'll buy it for you."

Naoto jumped in surprise. "N-no, you don't have-"

"Tsk, tsk," Aila held up her hand. "Don't bother arguing, Naoto. We're getting you this dress."

"They both turned, all at once remembering the boys' presences. All three were leering at Naoto, especially Kanji who had a deep red flush set into his cheeks. Naoto gasped and dashed back into her dressing room. Aila giggled softly.


	2. Volume 2

**Volume 2**

Yosuke would never admit it out loud, but he enjoyed the thrill of the fight. He loved wielding his duel blades and striking down the enemies with speed and precision. He was undoubtedly the second fastest on the team, second only to perhaps Naoto. Yosuke repressed a gleeful huff as he destroyed another black beast. Perhaps is was unhealthy for him to be enjoying this so much, but he grew to just ignore it.

He nearly missed a Shadow that tried to jump him from behind, but Aila was there with a pistol she borrowed from Naoto to back him up. Yosuke looked at her over his shoulder.

"Thanks!" He called. Aila grinned back.

"Watch your own ass next time, will ya?" She joked, shooting another Shadow. Her aim wasn't the best, but she could usually get the creatures after a couple of bullets.

The others surrounded the remaining enemies and, before they knew it, they were all in the clear.

"Piece of cake!" Yosuke yelled triumphantly. He put his weapons away.

"We should go on," Narukami suggested, gesturing further down the warped hallway. Tonight, it was he, Yosuke, Aila, and Chie on the team and they were following Rise's directions towards where they suspected the boss was. No one had been abducted for a few months, but that didn't lessen the overabundance of battles with the bosses.

"_It's in the room ahead,_" Rise's voice came. The group nodded and walked on.

Narukami opened the door, stepping through first. He scanned the dark area and motioned for the others to follow when everything seemed clear. The room didn't have much to it; it was just a rest lounge with a few sofas pointing towards the far wall and a mini bar in the back corner. No one was behind it.

"What an odd place," Chie muttered, wandering over to one of the green couches. She poked it cautiously with her finger as if its cushions would suddenly turn into mouths and try to bite her hand off. Suddenly, Aila gasped.

"Narukami!" She said, grabbing his arm.

The far wall was opening up to reveal a large window that overlooked race track. On the track, everyone could vaguely see a slim figure looking the other way.

"It's Mina!" Aila touched the glass with her fingers and pressed her face to the window. "Mina! Mina, can you hear me?!"

The figure slowly turned around. They were too far to see the details in her face, but it didn't matter as she suddenly vanished. A massive sports car drove over the spot Mina had been standing in, transforming into a mushy Shadow halfway down the track. The car's doors and parts became spikes and shields on its body and it stared up at the group as it waited for them to come down.

"Let's go and get it!" Yosuke yelled.

"Yeah!" Chie agreed. "Let's take this thing down!"

Narukami broke the glass with the back of his blade and they descended towards the enemy.

After the battle, Narukami, Chie, and Yosuke flopped to the ground. They panted, but were still able to pull enough air into them to celebrate.

"Nothing can take us down!" Yosuke cheered, falling onto his back.

"Yeah, that was a breeze," Chie agreed.

Narukami propped up his elbow with his knee, taking a final breath of air. "How are you feeling, Aila?" He looked around, but she was no where to be found. The others, hearing no response from the girl, looked up too, and scanned the area with their eyes for their comrade.

"_Yuu!_" Rise's voice cried. "_She's heading out of the stadium! And there's a Shadow heading her way!_"

"No!" Narukami scrambled to his feet and started booking it towards the track's entrance. Yosuke and Chie stumbled after them.

Aila was just outside of the stadium, roaming around in the Midnight Channel's fog. Her purple framed glasses glimmered in what little light shown from the track's spotlights. She twisted this way and that, screaming Mina's name until her body finally settled in one position and she went still. A girl stood a few feet away in the fog, back turned to Aila. She had a navy cloak on her head to hide the majority of her head, although a few chocolate strands frayed in all directions from beneath it. Her slender form shivered with the wind, as though she were just a projection.

"Mina!" Aila yelled, starting to run her way. A magnificent and powerful bird-like Shadow rose before Mina, wrapping her up in its feathers. "No!"

"_That Shadow is really strong!_" Rise exclaimed, nearly blowing out

everyone's eardrums. "_We can't possible pull of fighting it tonight!_"

Narukami came up behind Aila and wrapped her up in his arms. She struggled against him, her feet wildly kicking off of the ground.

"Narukami! Let me go after her! I can't leave Mina!"

"No! It's too dangerous!" Narukami looked back over his shoulder. "We can't fight it, Yosuke! We've got to get out of here!"

"Right!" Yosuke went over to help his friend take the girl out of there, but before they could escape, they were surrounded by other Shadows. Aila writhed out of Narukami's grasp and sped forward. She pulled out her pistol and started shooting the creatures that bit at her ankles. She hurried onward, flanked by Yosuke.

"Aila, stop!" He yelled when he caught up to her. He grabbed one of her wrists, harshly halting her in her tracks. "What if it's a trap?!"

"So do we just leave her at the mercy of those monsters?!" She countered. Yosuke got a pained look, squeezing her slightly before finally letting her go.

"Fine," he relented, arming his knives. "Just don't go alone." He was right beside her as they charged through the horde of Shadows towards the giant bird, who had Mina hanging limply in its beak. The girl didn't move, and this made Aila's strides all the more swifter.

"Yosuke!" She called. "Aim for the wings so it can't fly off!" Yosuke nodded.

"Got it!"

The threw themselves into the monster's feathers and tore them apart as fast as they could. However, the wings were gigantic, and they didn't get very far. It made a low caw and tried to brush them off. Aila almost missed her window to dodge, but was able to avoid its blow. She stumbled back as the monster lifted one of its massive legs to squash her unbalanced body.

"Jiraiya!" Yosuke yelled. His massive disco-like Persona came to her aid, holding off the foot with its crossed arms. Yosuke grunted as the bird pushed harder on Jiraiya.

"Izanagi!" They heard Narukami shout. His Persona used its massive sword to chop the Shadow's leg. It squawked, trying not to drop Mina from its mouth. Aila regained her composure and aimed her gun at the bird's neck. She shot once, missed. She shot again, and this one hit its mark, cutting off the bird's cry. It let Mina drop from its mouth and Aila ran to where the girl tumbled. She was right below her, ready to break Mina's fall, when the Shadow bent its head back down to catch Mina and nearly bite Aila's arm off. Its razor sharp tip scratched her arm, causing blood to spurt all over her clothing. Aila screamed and crumpled to the ground.

"Aila!" Yosuke was at her side in an instant. "Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine!" She tried to brush Yosuke off. "Get Mina! Please!" Even as they spoke, the bird was taking flight.

"No way! You need medical attention now!" Yosuke picked her up in his arms, cradling her against his chest.

"No! Mina! Get Mina!" She cried. "Please, Yosuke!" The bird was already flying off, Izanagi and Chie's Persona, Suzuka Gongen, tried to chase after it. They returned shortly, having lost the bird in the fog.

Aila cried in Yosuke's arms as he carried her back to the main area where everyone waited.

... ...

Volume 2! This is just a short battle chapter meant to show Aila's determination to saving Mina. This one was oddly difficult to write, and a little bit slower than I'd intended, but it you can stick with this, I promise it'll get better. :)

Thank you!


	3. Volume 3

**Volume 3**

Narukami listened to Yosuke ranting on the phone as he made Nanako dinner. He was careful not to slice off his fingers while he cut the carrots into slices, which wasn't too hard despite the fact that his head was tilted sideways.

"I just can't believe she went out there like that, ya know?" Yosuke repeated. "She could've gotten herself killed. I mean, she's the only one of us that doesn't have a Persona. She shouldn't just be charging into danger like the other night."

"She's lucky that she only got a small cut on her arm," Narukami agreed. "It looked a lot worse than it actually was."

"No kidding." Yosuke sighed. "She scared the hell out of me, man." Narukami stopped chopping for a moment.

"Yosuke, are you in love with her?"

The other side of the line filled with a flurry of denials. "Wh-what?! No way, man! I mean…I kinda like her, but…not _love_-not by any means!" Narukami chuckled slightly.

"I was just kidding."

"Oh…" Yosuke cleared his throat. "She's…she's our friend, man. That's all."

"Right." Narukami scooped up the neatly cut carrots and placed them in a boiling pot. He heard a door open and close on Yosuke's side.

"Oh, hey, she's here. I gotta go. Talk to ya later, bro."

"Have fun."

"H-hey! What do you mean by that?!"

"Nothing. I meant have fun."

"Oh…well, see ya, then."

... ...

Aila gave Yosuke a huge smile when she walked in, cutting her singing short when she was past the borders of the front door. Yosuke recalled that she loved singing, but she never seemed to be able to show off her talents in front of the others.

"Heya!" She greeted him, tugging her concealed purple ear buds from her ears.

"Hey," Yosuke replied, smiling back at her. "How're you doing?"

Aila slipped off her shoes at the front door, shaking out her soaking hair. "I'd be better if it wasn't raining. What is _with _the weather, lately?" It'd been raining solid for a few nights and few people had wanted to go outside during that time.

"I dunno," Yosuke said, shrugging. Aila suddenly giggled. "What?"

"Yosuke, why are you blushing?"

Yosuke jumped. "I'm not blushing!"

"Yes, you are. Right there." She gave his cheek a poke and laughed again when his face flushed. "Who were you talking to before? What did they say?"

"N-nothing!" Yosuke turned on his heels to hide his face. "Let's just start the movie, ok?!" Aila laughed and followed him through the house. Yosuke babbled on. "My dad is out of town right now, but he said he wouldn't mind if we used the TV for the next couple of nights." Yosuke gestured for her to sit down while he grabbed the remote. Then he stood over her for a couple of minutes.

"You know," he said, "I can take your jacket to hang-dry for a while. It doesn't seem like it'd be really warm all soaked like that."

"Oh, no, it's alright. I don't mind it at all." Aila got really uncomfortable suddenly. Yosuke imagined it was because she was trying to hide her bandages from him beneath the long sleeves. She'd been careful not to let him see it because of how worried she'd made Yosuke when she'd gotten it. Despite his concern, he let it go this time.

"Ok. Then let's get this started!" He plopped down next to her and pressed play. The movie was an old horror flick that Yosuke and his dad used to watch when he was younger.

"This used to scare the hell out of me," he explained as the opening scene began. "I used have to horrible nightmares about it for month's after we'd watch it. Now, it seems like a kid's Saturday special compared to the TV World." Aila nodded in agreement, staring at the show with unfocused interest. Yosuke didn't say anything and just listened carefully to her breathing next to him. His arms were sprawled out on the cushions behind them and, after a while, he felt her burrow into his shoulder.

Yosuke froze internally and glanced down at her. "Um…you okay?"

"Just…a bit cold," Aila admitted softly.

"Oh. Well, here." He grabbed a blanket on his other side and threw it over her. She pulled it tightly around her.

"Thanks." After a few minutes, she threw half of it over his legs. "You should have some, too."

"Nah, I'm alright." But oddly enough, neither of them moved it off.

Despite what a lady's man Yosuke had declared himself to be, he didn't know what to do in this situation. He sat motionless under her warming head, running through different scenarios in his mind on what to do. He looked down at her face, which was troubled, her eyes half drooped.

"Hey, are you sure you're ok?" He asked. Aila was silent for a few minutes.

"I…haven't been sleeping well." She looked down at the floor. "I've been having nightmares about Mina getting carried off." Her eyes welled up; she looked like she was about to burst into soft sobs. Yosuke remembered the day they'd found her wandering in the TV World, looking for her friend who'd fallen in also. They became fast allies, and even faster friends as they all scoured hundreds of areas for the missing girl. Yosuke knew Aila as a generally happy person, always smiling and trying to make everyone feel invited to their fun. He hadn't heard her talk much about Mina before, but seeing her so broken up about the friend now made him feel like he'd lost someone important, too.

"Hey." He used his finger to tilt her head up to meet his gaze. "Don't worry about it. We'll find her, I promise." A tear escaped, and that prompted a few more to fall with it. Yosuke wiped one away with his thumb. "It'll be ok."

"Thank you, Yosuke." She told him with a shaking voice that she fought to control. He nodded once and gave her a small, comforting smile. Aila regained her composure and returned the gesture.

At the same time, they both noticed how close Yosuke had gotten to her face and couldn't move for a split second. Then, they both turned away from each other. Yosuke coughed awkwardly.

"We should rewind this part," he said quickly. "It's the best-you can't miss it." He went to the previous scene and forced himself to remain staring forward. Aila rested her head back into his chest, moving slowly so as not to make things to weird. She muttered something that Yosuke didn't quite catch.

"What was that?" He looked down at her face to find that she'd fallen fast asleep. He stared at her peaceful expression and found himself putting his hand on her head with a sigh. He stroked her soft hair with his fingers until he, too, fell into slumber.

... ...

12:00am.

Yosuke awoke to a muffled voice calling out. He opened one drowsy eye to Aila's head, which still rested heavily against his body. His arm had gone numb from the position it'd been in, and he carefully pulled it out from under Aila. Her head bobbed up slightly and she placed it back on the cushion beneath them without waking up. Yosuke rubbed his eyes.

"Aila…"

Yosuke jumped and turned to look at the TV. It was still on, but the movie had stopped. Now, a fuzzy image of a girl had taken its place. Yosuke couldn't see the top half of her face, but even without being able to see her eyes he could tell that she was afraid. Tears poured down her cheeks and past her lips, agonizingly dripping off of her chin without being wiped away.

"Aila…please…" Mina cried. "Help me."

She put her hand on the side of the camera, choking back more sobs. Her voice got louder. "Aila, please! Please, I need you! Help me, Aila! Help me!"

Yosuke knelt in front of the TV, watching it carefully. As Mina called out, Yosuke checked the sleeping girl behind him. She remained still, too deep in her sleep to hear the friend's begging.

At last, the girl turned away and the screen faded to static before Yosuke got to see her whole face.

He glanced back at Aila once more, then got out his cell phone. It rang once before the other line picked up.

"Dude, did you see that?" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah," Narukami answered.

"What should we do? Do you think it's a trap?"

"It could be." Yosuke heard Narukami hum thoughtfully. He closed his eyes to contemplate, too.

"We shouldn't tell her about this," he told Narukami. "If she knew, she'd go in there to get her without a second thought. She's already put herself in too much danger." He stared back at Aila sorrowfully. "I hate to lie to her, bro, but we have to keep her out of the TV World, at least until we figure out what that was all about."

"You're right," Narukami agreed. "But how do we keep her from going inside?" Yosuke snapped his fingers.

"Let me call Teddie. I have an idea. You call the rest of the gang and let them know that we'll go investigate tomorrow." Narukami gave a short laugh.

"Since when did you start acting like the leader?" He joked. Yosuke couldn't fight back a smile.

"I was born for this," he answered with a chuckle. "You've been demoted, bro."

They hung up and Yosuke started dialing Teddie's cell. Aila stirred a bit, which made Yosuke paralyzed for a few moments. But she was just turning over in her sleep, nearly falling off of the couch.

"Mina…" she mumbled in her sleep. Yosuke sat down beside her and moved strands of her brown locks out of her face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her, "but this if for your own good."

... ...

Hello again! Volume Three is posted! OMG! Mina is in trouble?! They must save her!

I realized that every chapter has started out with Yosuke thus far. Could this be favoritism? Perhaps.

The other characters should (hopefully) be showing up soon. Thanks for reading!


	4. Volume 4

**Volume 4**

Teddie grinned widely when Aila came downstairs in her newest sundress. It was a midnight blue that faded from darkest on the top to a gradually lighter shade on the bottom. The thin straps met each other behind her neck and the flowing skirt drifted around her kneecaps. Her strapped heels matched her dress in color and style. As Teddie gawked at her, Aila nervously adjusting the daffodils embedded in her brown up-do.

"What?" She had a slight flush to her cheeks.

"You look amazing!" Teddie exclaimed bluntly. Aila's blush deepened, but she laughed anyway.

"You don't look bad yourself, kid." Teddie was wearing the same outfit he usually did when in his human form-the ruffled white shirt with slick black pants-only today the usual red flower in his shirt was exchanged with a bloomed daffodil to match his date. "Besides…aren't _you _the one who told me to I had to dress up for this date?" Teddie grinned.

"And I'm bear-y glad you did!"

Aila shook her head with another smile and pulled her hands out of her hair.

"So…where are we going?"

…

A the Inaba Carnival, Teddie ran rampant through the streets. Yosuke had let the bear borrow his credit card for the date…and Teddie was taking full advantage of its large limit. He was buying him and Aila both snacks and ride tickets and countless chances at the booth games so they could win the biggest prizes. Aila felt that she should've said something to him about using Yosuke's money so freely, but Teddie was at a point that he was so abundant with fun that he wouldn't have listened anyway. He might as well have had her own headphones squashing down his blonde side-swept mess. So, shaking her head, she just followed him around the area to look at every booth and to ride every attraction.

The sun was slowly setting behind the horizon, creating a low, romantic glow on the carnival's food court tables. Yosuke and the group were sneaking by on their way to Junes, carrying duffle bags to conceal their chosen weapons. The boy happened to look to the side, where he saw Aila and Teddie sitting off to the side of the crowd in a private booth. Teddie was saying something with a grin while he wildly flailed his hands in the air. After a few moments, Aila started laughing so uncontrollably that tears started pricking out from the corners of her eyes.

"C'mon, Yosuke!" Chie hissed, pulling on his arm. Yosuke fought back a sigh and followed his friends to the massive family-ran building.

Teddie munched on some cotton candy while trying to balance a massive pink rabbit stuffed animal on his leg. Aila silently licked her ice cream as she observed other families and couples parading the streets. Without much warning, she turned on her companion with a serious stare.

"Teddie," she said softly. The bear-boy looked up at her. "Why did you bring me here? Why did you suddenly decide you wanted to go on a date with me?"

Teddie scratched the back of his head, releasing the ridiculous bunny to the punch and hot dog grease-soaked ground. "W-well, I…" Aila narrowed her eyes.

"Yosuke wanted you to," she concluded. "And Yuu and the others, too. You all want to keep me distracted so I won't go looking for Mina in the TV World." She stared at the remainder of her ice cream cone which dripped precariously onto their table.

Teddie couldn't deny it; she was half right, and he could do nothing but sit quietly in his chair.

"I understand, though," Aila muttered gently. Teddie made a small, surprised noise. Aila closed her eyes, giving her friend a small smile. "I've been a bit of a nuisance, haven't I? I almost got us killed the last time we fought the Shadows. You need to find out what's going on with the TV World without having to worry about getting in the way."

Teddie reached out a hand to hold hers, ignoring the dripping cream sliding onto his fingers.

"We just want to keep you safe, Aila." He explained. "We love you, and don't want you to get hurt again."

Aila flushed ever so slightly, then it became an expression of peace.

"Thank you, Teddie." The bear-boy gave her a grin.

"No problem! But you totally want to score with me now, right?"

Aila ignored the vein of annoyance popping out of her head. "No, Teddie."

"Then how about me, baby?"

A strange boy approached, dressed entirely in black leather. He had a bandana with blue skulls on it wrapped around his messy brown hair. His deathly pale skin indicated that he was a victim of some sort of substance abuse.

"Can I help you?" Aila asked him, annoyed.

"Don't look so angry, baby," he muttered. He took a seat beside her, turning the free-standing chair so that his chest was leaning against its back. "How about you and I go somewhere to have some…alone time?"

"No thank you."

"Hey, buddy," Teddie interjected, "leave the lady alone!" The boy turned to Teddie, giving him a dark glare.

"Who's this?" He asked Aila. "You're little bro?"

"Actually, he's my date." Aila pushed the guy's shoulder. "So get lost. I'm not interested."

"C'mon, baby." He grabbed her waist, yanking them both to their feet. "Don't be like that."

"Hey!" Teddie stood, too, heading over to the thug. "I said, leave the lady alone!" He got between the guy and Aila. She stared down at Teddie in surprise.

"Pfft…Outta my way, shortie."

"No! I won't let you touch Lady Aila!"

"Lady…?" Aila muttered. Teddie glanced back at her.

"_That's _what you're focused on right now?" They both repressed an oddly placed giggle.

The thug snapped his fingers and two more guys came from the shadows. They were almost clones of their leader, and snickered just like he did.

"I said _move,_ shortie!" The thug said again. Teddie didn't budge and the thug grinned. "Fine." He started to turn to walk away, then flipped back around and punched Teddie's cheek. The boy-bear toppled over and the thug's lackeys picked him up and dragged him into an alley where they wouldn't be seen by the general public. They grinned wickedly as they held him still for their boss to continue pounding the blonde.

Suddenly, a click sounded behind them before they could inhale enough air to laugh some more.

"Get away from him," Aila muttered dangerously, revealing the gun she held slightly hidden behind her skirt. All three thugs looked absolutely frightened. "Leave now, or else."

"Hey baby," the leader began, "no need to pull-"

"One." Aila's counting made everyone freeze. She lifted the silver pistol to point at the leader's chest. "Two…" They made a mad dash for the crowds again, not even bothering to look back. Teddie stared up at her from the pavement he'd been dropped on. Aila's hair had become unkempt and was staring to fall out from her elegant 'do. She gave a shaky sigh and stuck the small gun back in the thigh holster hidden beneath her dress.

"Naoto let me borrow it for awhile," she briefly explained. "And she hasn't asked for it back yet. I wasn't really going to shoot them…I just wanted to scare them off…" She bent over her friend. "Are you okay, Teddie?"

"Yeah," he muttered sadly. He remained sprawled over the dirty gravel. Aila gently touched his cheek and he flinched.

"You've got a huge bruise forming," she informed him.

"I'm okay." Teddie sighed again. "But,…I should've been able to protect you, like Yosuke or Sensei would do. I'm just…such a useless bear!" They were both silent for a few moments, then Aila leaned down and moved Teddie's head into her lap. She titled it up with her fingers and softly kissed the bruise on his cheek. He gave a gasp.

"Teddie, you did your best to protect me," she assured him. "You were a 'bear-y' perfect prince. Thank you." They both laughed at her attempt to imitate him. Teddie recovered quickly, watching her with a sly glint in his eyes.

"Does this bear-y special prince get a bear-y special kiss?"

Aila laughed again, shaking her head. "Alright, bear." She leaned down again to set her lips over his. They were very warm, even though his body didn't generate any blood or body fat. His breath brushed over her skin, smelling of crystallized pink sugar. Teddie then made his move, putting a light hand behind her neck to bring her further into him. As he pressed his lips up to deepen the kiss, Aila felt her head start to spin. She quickly released herself from him, trying to cease her dizziness by breathing in fresh air. She and Teddie both had a light flush to their cheeks.

"Well," Aila muttered with a small smile. "That was new. I've never kissed a bear it a boy's body before." She didn't mention it aloud, but she'd also never kissed any form of a Shadow before, either,…in fact…

She came out of her thoughts as Teddie gained a prideful smirk.

"Best kiss ever, right?" He asked. Aila just chuckled. "Wanna go another round?"

She shoved the boy's head back onto the ground. "No thank you." She tried to act serious but a smile was playing onto her lips. Teddie convulsed into giggles, sitting up swiftly. Aila felt that she had to join in with him. Despite that the date had been set up for them, she'd had a wonderful time with the boy and couldn't think of a better place to be than with one of her closest friends.

... ...

Chapter 4 is up! Everyone is sew keewwtt!

I did a date with Teddie and Aila. Who would be a better distraction?

And yes, they kissed. Teddie is such a player. XD


	5. Volume 5

**Volume 5**

Chie and Yukiko sighed together.

"I'm so glad we're going home now," Chie said, dragging her feet along the pavement late that night.

"Me too. I'm so sore!" Yukiko whined.

"We looked everywhere for that chick, ya know?" Kanji complained. "But still…"

"Nothing," Yosuke finished. "Not even a new area to explore."

"Are you okay, Rise?" Narukami asked the red-head. She looked up at him from the ground she'd been oddly focused on.

"Yeah, I'm alright," she mumbled. "I just don't understand why I can't sense her. It's like she doesn't even exist…."

"Maybe she doesn't," Yosuke suggested.

"Yosuke!" Chie scolded. "This is Aila's friend! Don't say something like that!"

"Maybe he's right," Naoto interrupted. "Think about it: why else would Rise have not found a _citizen_ in there by now? And why else would Aila be the only one who she shows up around?"

"So, you mean it could all just be a ploy to lure Aila into the TV World?" Yukiko thought aloud.

"Perhaps. But we can't know for sure until we find Mina-whether she exists or not."

"What do you think, Yosuke?" Narukami asked, turning to his friend. Yosuke didn't seem to hear him; the boy stared forward with his brow raised. Teddie was stepping off of Aila's home doorstep, humming a gleeful tune as he almost skipped right past the group. He stopped in front of everyone, not noticing their stares towards the bandage under his left eye.

"Oh, hello everyone! Hello, Sensei!" He greeted. "How did the search go?"

"We didn't find anything," Yosuke told him. "It was really lame and pointless. How was the date?"

Teddie gained a sly grin and a light blush. "It was fiiinnnneeee." He drew out the last word suspiciously. Yosuke glared at him.

"What did you do, bear?"

"What? Me? Nothing, of course! I was on my bear-y best behavior!"

"Yeah right! You'd think I'd buy that?!" He pulled on Teddie's ears. "What happened, bear?"

"Ow ow! No way! You'd get jealous!" He tried to bat Yosuke off of him.

"Jealous? Seriously, what did you do?!" Yosuke pulled harder.

"Ooowww! We kissed, alright?! We kissed!"

"You WHAT?!" Yosuke grabbed his other ear and dragged the details out of him. When Teddie was finished, Chie and Kanji fought to get Yosuke's hands off of him. "Dammit, Teddie, you were supposed to distract her! Not get into a fight then make-out with her!"

"See, I told you you'd be jealous." Teddie rubbed his ears painfully. "Besides, the fight wasn't my fault. I'm a prince, and I must always protect the princess when she's in danger!"

"Why you-" Yosuke huffed a sigh and shook the others off. "Can you believe this guy, Narukami?" He turned to look at his silverette best friend, who was suddenly out of sight. The group looked up to see him approaching Aila's door. He knocked lightly and waited very patiently for her to answer.

Aila was already out of her sundress and in a very fuzzy blue robe with golden stars staining it. Her violet pajama pants slumped over her feet lazily. Her hair was still slightly embroidered with flowers, but most of them fell out as she stared up at Narukami.

"Oh, hey Yuu," she greeted. "What's up?" Narukami gave her a kind smile.

"How are you feeling?"

She was taken aback by his direct question, and found herself answering honestly. "I'm a little offended that you guys set me up with Teddie just so you could go to the TV World without me. But I still had fun." Narukami nodded thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry we didn't take you," he told her earnestly. "But we think that you should probably stay out of there-at least for a while." Aila relaxed as his brilliant and calm hazel eyes stared into her oceanic ones apologetically. She sighed, smiling a bit.

"I can't stay made at you, Narukami. Alright, I'll stay out of there for now, as long as you keep me updated on what you find out about Mina."

"It's a deal."

"Promise?"

Narukami held out his pinky to her. "Promise."

Aila giggled as she linked her littlest finger with his. "Ok."

"Ain't that heartwarming'," Kanji teased as he and the others approached her steps. "Nice pjs, Aila." Aila looked down at her attire and laughed aloud.

"At least you guys caught me while I was still wearing make-up," she decided. The girls all laughed, except Naoto, who didn't totally get the joke.

Aila met eyes with Yosuke, putting one hand on her hip and the other on her doorway. "Why do you look so sour?"

Yosuke huffed. "I don't look sour…"

"He's just jealous because Teddie here got it good on his date with you," Chie teased. Yosuke turned around and tried to clamp a hand over her mouth to silence her.

"Yeah, I guess he wanted to get a kiss, too," Yukiko agreed, starting to laugh uncontrollably in that high-pitch she only used when she felt _really _happy.

"You guys!" Yosuke hissed as they continued chuckling.

Aila flushed instantly and turned to the blonde boy beside them. "Teddie! I can't believe you told them about my first kiss!"

"Your first kiss?!" Everyone said at once. Aila realized what she'd just said and sunk slightly behind her doorway to hide her embarrassment.

"What? I'd never kissed a boy before today…I had to thank him for protecting me somehow."

"Wow-ee, Lady Aila!" Teddie hollered. He gave her a low bow. "I'm honored that I go to have your first kiss!"

"You stupid bear!" Yosuke yelled, staring to chase Teddie around the block. "I leave you alone with her for one day and you steal her innocence?!"

"No, not her innocence, Yosuke!" Teddie insisted. "That was going to happen _later _tonight." Yosuke growled some more and gained speed as he reached out to catch the obnoxious bear. The others couldn't help but laugh as the two stumbled and slid over the slightly damp pavement.

"Hey," Narukami said suddenly, turning back to Aila. "How about we make it up to you, and we all go to the carnival tomorrow?"

"Yeah!" Chie yelled excitedly. "That'd be so cool! I could use a break!"

"It'll be so fun!" Yukiko squealed. "You'll come to, right Naoto?"

"Sure," the lady detective said casually, adjusting her hat on her head. "I have no other engagements tomorrow."

Aila giggled as they all started talking excitedly about what they'd do first. Even the fussy Teddie and Yosuke got into the chatter.

"I could show you guys all of the fun stuff!" Teddie exclaimed.

"Yeah, but keep your hands off of Aila this time!" Yosuke scolded. "No more kissing!"

"Guess that means she's off-limits to you too, eh?"

Yosuke glowered at the boy, but didn't respond.

Aila beamed at all of them, then turned to look back at Narukami.  
"I'd love to go," she told him.

"Great." He gave her a smile. "We'll pick you up at noon." They all started to leave her doorstep, but Teddie crept back up to her side.

"Kiss for goodnight?" He asked, puckering his lips. Aila backed away with a small smirk and a raise of her brow.

"C'mon, bear!" Yosuke mumbled, pulling the blonde off of Aila's steps by his collar . She giggled at the sight.

"Goodnight, Teddie! Goodnight, Yosuke!" She called to the boys, waving. The boy-bear returned the gesture enthusiastically while Yosuke gave her a simple, shy salute.

…

At the carnival, the group of friends swarmed all that they could, playing and eating everything in sight. They laughed and chatted away as the day went on. Aila mainly stuck to either Narukami or Yosuke, with Teddie typically following close behind. Rise grabbed Aila's arm when they saw a large cotton candy stand.

"Ooh!" Rise cooed, "let's go get some!" She dragged the brunette with her and they both got a large cloud monstrosity. Rise took a tiny test bite. "Mmm! Delicious!"

Aila scanned the area for Naoto and, when she found her, she offered her purple fluff.

"Want to try some?" Aila asked. Naoto knew she'd be persistent no matter what she did, so she took a chomp.

"Not bad," Naoto said honestly. Aila smiled happily.

"Look guys! A Ferris Wheel!" Yukiko pointed to the large circle off to the farthest part of the area. Rise wasted no time grabbing Narukami's arm.

"Let's go ride together!" She urged, dragging him towards it before he could respond. Chie and Yukiko both gained dark glares and headed after them, Teddie at their heels. Kanji glanced down at the lady detective, gaining a light blush.

"You, uh…," he began uncertainly. "You wanna follow them and see what it's all about?" Naoto glanced up at him.

"Sure." She shrugged. Yosuke and Aila watched Kanji fight to keep cool as they walked off, even though his face was spreading into a large and excited grin. Aila giggled to herself.

"There are so cute," she said. "I think that Kanji would treat her well, if she'd give him the chance."

"Kanji and Naoto? You sure have an interesting view about these things," Yosuke replied. Aila grinned at him.

"Just call me Lady Cupid, ultimate matchmaker!" She laughed and grabbed his arm with the hand that wasn't holding her cotton candy. "C'mon! Let's go take a ride!"

She pulled them into the line for the Ferris Wheel and they waited until they could ride together. The carriages were enclosed like a bubble with glass on all sides so that couples could overlook the sights (or could attempt a challenge to hide well enough to make-out at the top). Aila squeezed next to Yosuke and stared out her own window for a few minutes, looking over the carnival on goings and humming a tune that Yosuke couldn't quite place. After they stopped on the top, she leaned over her friend to look out his window, which showed the other side of town. She beamed at the sights while Yosuke tried to ignore the fact that her hair was within lip-leaning distance. He caught a whiff of coconut perfume coming off of her and tried to turn his head away. Aila leaned back into her seat and gave Yosuke a big smile.  
"This is fun!" She exclaimed. Then, she noticed Yosuke's slight blush. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Yosuke smiled back at her. He was glad to see her so gleeful, but felt an odd aura coming off of her. It basically screamed for him to apologize…or maybe it was his own aura that brought those feelings on.

"Hey." He drew her attention to him. "I'm…sorry I set you up with Teddie as a distraction. I didn't mean to lie to you, I just-"

"Yosuke." Aila gently touched his arm, halting his words. "It's ok. I know why you did it. I may still want to go looking for my friend, but I also don't want to endanger my new ones. So, please, don't worry about it, ok?"

Yosuke breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright." After only a few minutes, he reverted back to his old self and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "So, hot stuff, now that we're up at the top….what should we do?"

Aila pushed him away. "Now I know where Teddie learned his 'smooth talk'. This is just like when we first started hanging out."

They recalled the day during the last summer after they'd helped Aila out of the TV World. Aila had started going to Junes with Narukami every day, and every time they came during Yosuke's shift, the boy would hit on her mercilessly. Aila found it obnoxious at first, yet it made them closer than anyone thought they'd become.

Both of them seemed to recall those days and realized that Yosuke hadn't been that way towards her in a long time.

"I can't help it if I'm just too damn handsome," he bragged, leaning back into his seat. Aila laughed.

"It's too bad all of that beauty lacks the brains to go with them," she joked.

"You're just jealous that you're not as beautiful as me." He flinched as Aila harshly nudged his side. "Okay, okay! You're a close second." He chuckled when Aila rolled her eyes and she refocused on the world outside her window. They both let out a relaxed sigh, letting Aila's light hum fill their bubble for a little while. Of course, Yosuke couldn't help but speak out.

"Wonder when they're gonna let us down?" He thought aloud.

"Bored already?" Aila smirked at him.

"Bored up here with a gorgeous babe? No way. What makes me bored is that we aren't doing anything naughty."

Aila smacked his arm as hard as she could. "You're such a jerk!"

"Ow! Hey, don't hurt the guns! How else am I supposed to seduce hot chicks?"

"Oh, I'm sure your face will be sufficient enough." Aila realized what she was implying and she blushed, quickly adding, "That is, if your mouth doesn't scare them off first."

Yosuke didn't really say anything to that. She met his eyes, raising her brows as if to say, "You alright?" A different question flickered across his face.

"Why did you kiss Teddie, anyway?" He asked suddenly. She jumped in her seat.

"Wh-where did that come from?"

"I'm just curious is all," he muttered, casually looking out the window. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Aila knew that he meant it, but felt a pressure build within her. For some reason, she cared about what Yosuke thought of her.

"I did it to thank him. He got that bruise because he was trying to protect me from a bunch of thugs. Had something happened to him, I don't know what I would've done. It seemed like the best thing to do, at the time."

Yosuke looked at her troubled expression and decided to let it go by laughing it off. "Well, I've saved you a bunch of times in the TV World. Don't I get some kind of reward?"

Aila shoved his shoulder. "This isn't a contest! But if it was, I'd owe Naoto quite the lip-lock session." Yosuke gave her a playful glare and Aila just laughed at him.

"Of course you have to make it awkward."

"You started it." Aila got a mischievous expression. "Let's talk about you, though. How many times have I saved your sorry ass from Shadows coming up behind you? You always leave your back wide open…what do _I _get as a reward?" Yosuke grinned at her.

"_You _want a prize?"

"Yeah, I want a prize! But I want to choose it! Like maybe…"

He leaned in and kissed her cheek. It stopped their very breathing and both of them flushed.

"Well," Aila muttered, trying to play it cool. "That wasn't exactly what I meant. I was hoping for, you know, jewelry or a new CD or something…"

Yosuke couldn't fight against his urge to lean back in as she babbled. Her skin had been warm and she smelled absolutely delicious, and he wondered if her lips were the same way. He wondered what Teddie had felt when he'd kissed her, and closing the distance now would certainly answer that question for him. Aila froze beneath his gaze, but didn't try to lean away. Yosuke could feel her breath stop and leaned even closer to try and rouse it out. Her head tilted up every so slightly…

The ride jumpstarted again and they were heading back down. They both pulled back, the spell over them broken. Yosuke put a hand through his hair.

"Haha, well, that was a funny joke, huh?" He said, lamely trying to laugh off the meeting their lips almost had. Aila forced a small smile.

"Yeah, you're such a flirt, Yosuke," she replied. "I thought you actually wanted to kiss me for a moment there." They fell into an awkward silence where neither could find the right response. They got to the bottom of the wheel and the ride attendant opened their door. They stepped out silently and approached their waiting friends.

"How was it, you guys?" Chie asked. She saw their faces and got a curious look. Aila started laughing.

"It was frightfully boring," she answered. "After hearing about how great Yosuke is for the 100th time, you start to get a headache." The others laughed with her.

"Sounds like Yosuke!" Chie said, dropping her suspicions entirely. Yosuke shared a grateful glance with Aila, to which she just smiled and nodded. Yosuke knew they'd go on now to ignore the fact that he'd tried to kiss her, but…that wasn't what he'd wanted now. Maybe it was out of affection or just pure curiosity (and with Yosuke, it could be either), he wanted to lean in at least once…just to see what it was like.

...

Volume 5! Mixed romances?! Many questions?! What will they do?!

This chapter ended up WAY longer than the rest. Sorry for all of you with little time on your hands! Anyway, I realized that Yosuke's been rather angst-y lately, so I fixed that a bit this chapter! I also have now ensured each chapter possible begins to emphasize Aila's music love.

You know, when this chapter was originally written, I didn't have the Ferris Wheel part. I actually had to move what I'd originally written to the next chapter. If you have thoughts on what you think, please share! I'm posting these so that I can get feedback on my writing techniques.

Thanks, everyone!


	6. Volume 6

**Volume 6**

"Big Bro!" A little girl called to Narukami. The kids saw Nanako jogging up to their group, Dojima close behind. She pounced Narukami with a loving hug. Narukami returned it.

"Hey, Nanako!" He greeted. "Hey, Uncle."

"Hey, kids," Dojima said. His usual five o'clock shadow was a bit longer than usual, but at least his brown hair was neatly combed. The other kids greeted him back. They made meaningless conversation while Aila bent down with Narukami to get a better view of Nanako.

"Heya," she said to the little girl. Nanako gave her a big grin.

"Hey, Aila!" Nanako wrapped her arms around Aila's neck. "I've missed you! How come you don't come over anymore?" Aila hugged her, too, and then pulled back to look at the girl's chocolate eyes.

"I'm sorry. I've just been busy with my dad," she explained. "He's been helping your daddy out with the newest case, so I've been taking care of the house while he's been gone." Nanako nodded understandingly.

"Hey! Can I come play with you guys?"

"What about your dad?" Narukami asked.

"He's fun, but I want to play with you guys, too!"

"I could use a bit of a rest from that carnival pie earlier," Dojima chimed in. "You kids go ahead and have some fun."

"Yay!" Nanako cheered, taking both Aila and Narukami's hands. She started pulling them along the road and the two being dragged by her started laughing. Yosuke and the others smiled and stalked close behind them.

…

When they returned, Dojima was staring off into a crowd of people. They were gathered around a cart with signs all over. The kids couldn't really read it, but whatever they said got people excited.

"What's that?" Nanako asked.

"I dunno," Narukami replied.

"Looks like some kind of magic show," Dojima said.

"Magic? Can we go see it?" Nanako started jumping up and down, shaking Aila and Narukami's sweating hands with her.

"Let's go!" Aila said enthusiastically. They were swarmed into the crowd as they awaited the man on stage to continue to his next trick.

"What lame tricks do you think he'll do?" Yosuke asked Aila as he squeezed next to her.

"Shh!" Aila scolded. "Just let Nanako watch!"

The man on stage had a very round body with sticky, slender legs. He wore black skin-tight pants and a red tail coat over a white button-up. His posters, now within readable distance, said "Mr. Top". The curvy black moustache under his long nose and his chin's goatee made him look rather sinister, but everyone seemed to love him.

"Now, for my next trick!" Mr. Top announced. He picked up a lovely, fluffy white rabbit. "I'll shall put this rabbit in my hat, then make it disappear!"

"Well, _that's _original," Chie muttered sarcastically, but all of the littler kids were cheering excitedly. Mr. Top went on to put the rabbit in a hat on a table, then, after a wave of his wand, flipped it upside down. When nothing came out, everyone cheered.

"Now to make him reappear!" He reached into his hat and, after a few moments, he got an uncertain look and put his whole face into the hat. "Well, children, it looks like Magic the Rabbit has gone off somewhere. Oh well, let's get onto the next trick."

He smiled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I'll need a volunteer from the audience. How about you, little girl?" He pointed down to Nanako. The brunette jumped excitedly, but Dojima got an uncertain look.

Aila felt something dark bubble up inside her and her hand shot up.

"I'd like to volunteer in her place!" She insisted. Her friends looked at her in surprise. Aila ignored them and looked down at Nanako. "Sorry, sweetie. Just trust me on this one." Nanako felt the seriousness in her voice and nodded, letting Aila's hand go.

Mr. Top didn't even bat an eye and ushered her up to the stage. "Very well! Any lovely young lady will do!" He put his arm around her tiny shoulders and pulled her in close, putting a microphone to her lips. "What's your name, dear?"

"Aila."

"What a lovely name! Well, Aila, I'll now tell you what I need you to do." He opened a curtain behind them, revealing a purple, full body-length levitating box with white and blue stars decorating it. "Now, ladies and gentleman, please notice that this box is _not _being held up by any strings or other attachments." He ran a long magic staff above and beneath it to prove his point. "I will ask Aila to please step into the box where I will make her disappear and then reappear-for real, this time."

He offered Aila his hand and she glanced over to Narukami and Yosuke, an uncertain look in her eyes. She hid it well in her face, though, and mustered up the courage to take Mr. Top's hand to help her into the box. Suddenly, the boys and their friends got a bit nervous, but weren't yet sure why.

Mr. Top closed the door to the box. "Now, I shall spin the box THREE times. One…two…three." The hovering case wobbly spun in the air. "Now, let's see if our young lady is inside…" He opened the door, and Aila was gone. The audience clapped.

"Alright, alright, let's bring her back to us. One…two…and THREE!" On the third spin, he opened the door.

It was empty.

The audience started to murmur. Narukami and the others started to panic.

"Wh-where is she?" Chie asked as Mr. Top made a big show to look all over the inside of the box.

"What the hell kind of trick is this?!" Yosuke hissed.

"Something's not right," Narukami concluded, starting to push his way through the crowd with the others.

"Well now," Mr. Top went on. "I must be losing my marbles-or at least all of my participants! Let's try this one more time." He started spinning the box. "One…two…THREE!"

He barely had his hand on the door when something burst its way out. It was a large, gnarly creature that was like a werewolf, standing on two hind legs and growling at the audience with an elongated snout. Its black fur shimmered in the sunlight. Everyone started to scream and Narukami's friends stopped in there tracks. The werewolf's too-long ears perked up at the sight of them and its throat rumbled again.

"Do you feel that?" Yukiko asked the group.

"It's-" Rise gasped. "A Shadow!"

"Woah!" Mr. Top said, exaggerating a surprised expression. "Where did you come from?" He gestured a hand to the audience that was backing away slowly. "Don't worry, my friends! I'll take care of this!" He rose his wand over the beast and called out, "ALAKAZAM!"

The Shadow shivered, then exploded outward. Black liquid spurted all over the place and Aila's body came from beneath it all. She collapsed to the ground, sucking in a large gulp of air as if she'd been drowning in that wolf's body.

"Ah-ha!" Mr. Top said. "And the beauty has been saved from the beast!" The black liquid swiftly started evaporating into small clouds around Aila. Most everyone else erupted into applause, but Narukami and Yosuke both ran up to the stage to help Aila up. She choked out a few more drops of black blood and clung to Narukami's arms with her shaking fingers.

"I'm sorry if that startled you, my dear," Mr. Top said, trying to help her up as well. He spoke loud enough for everyone else to hear. "But you were a good sport! Thank you for helping out Mr. Top!"

Yosuke held his tongue, though many unkind words sprung to his mind.

They helped Aila off of the stage where Nanako was waiting. Her face had gone pale and she was at Aila's side in an instant.

"Are you okay?!" She asked panicked.

Aila coughed again. "It-it was so dark in there. I couldn't see or move or breathe or hear anything." She saw Nanako's bright, concerned eyes and regained her composure. "But I'm fine. It was just a trick. I'm alright."

Dojima approached. "Thank you for taking Nanako's place," he told Aila softly. "I think I would've started a panic had that been her instead."

"No problem." Aila leaned against Yosuke for support. He kept her up enough to make her look like she was standing in her own.

"I think we should get you home, Nanako," Dojima said suddenly. "It's been a long day."

"We'll stay a bit longer until Aila rests up," Narukami said. Dojima nodded.

"We'll see you later, then."

Nanako gave Aila a quick hug before she and her dad left.

"I think we should go talk to that Mr. Top," Narukami said when his family was out of hearing distance. "We need to find out how he summoned that Shadow."

"Right," Yosuke agreed. "The fact that he summoned it outside of the TV World makes this too strange."

"Let's go after Aila's rested a bit," Chie suggested.

"No, I'm fine." Aila stood shakily, trying to hide it from the others. "We need to question him right away, before he has too much time to hide the truth."

...

Volume 6! A shorter chapter, but moves straight to the point.

Shadows outside the TV World can be troublesome. What does this mean for our friends?


	7. Volume 7

**Volume 7**

The nine kids moved along to Mr. Top's cart. It was bigger than it had seemed; from the front, it looked like it was just a small wooden box with a performance stage attached to it. But, when they crept to the rear, they noticed that it extended out far enough to sufficiently house at least one room. They knocked once on the door and entered it after the door slowly fell open.

The room inside was surprisingly empty, except for a few wardrobes, a vanity desk with an oval mirror, several hats, and the plethora of tricks that Mr. Top had used on stage-including Magic the Rabbit and the levitating box. No other humans or creatures were present.

Yosuke went over to the box, poking it with his finger. It wiggled in the air. He checked its surface thoroughly.

"There's no strings," he stated. "I don't know how its staying up."

"Magnets, maybe?" Chie suggested, waving her arms over the floor beneath the box. Everyone stared thoughtfully at the purple crate, racking their brains to come up with a reasonable explanation.

Finally, Yosuke said, "We should test it to see if we can summon that Shadow again."

"No way!" Chie hollered. "That's too crazy! Plus, we don't have our Personas to back us up out here!"

"I'll get inside it," Aila offered. Her friends stared at her.

"It's too dangerous," Naoto stated, putting a hand on her friend's arm. "You're brave to volunteer, but we don't know enough about the situation to make a decision so quickly."

"We need to investigate this _now_," Aila insisted. She turned to Narukami. "Yuu, your Nanako was almost stuck inside this thing. What if he tries to put someone else's family in that box and something goes wrong with the Shadow? At least if I go in, I have an idea of what to expect. Let me try, Yuu…please."

Narukami looked at her silently for a few minutes, then at last relented. "Okay. Just be careful."

Aila stepped into the box with his help, then Yosuke and Kanji uncertainly twirled the crate three times.

When they opened it, Aila was gone.

"It worked…" Chie whispered. Yosuke felt a brief, but powerful panic swirl over his body.

"Spin it again," Yukiko urged.

One…two….

Rise suddenly gasped. "Open it! Open the box! Hurry!" She yelled. Kanji was on it instantly, throwing open the door. A black muck covered the entire inside, bubbling dangerously as it dropped over the box's edges.

As if it saw them, the black muck began to retreat and fade. Aila's body was limp and unconscious as she swayed in place. When she fell out of it, Kanji was the first to catch her. He held her gently, but his eyes were wide with worry. Yosuke hurried over to her and grabbed her wrist.

"Aila!" He said. The girl opened her eyes slowly, giving him a small smile.

"Hi," she greeted with a loopy tone to her voice.

"Are you ok?" Kanji asked her. She looked up at him from his arms, slowly regaining her thoughts.

"Oh," she muttered as she remembered what'd happened. "Oh!" She sat up a bit in Kanji's grasp. "I saw something this time! In the darkness, there was…something…. I think it was a bedroom with a swirling floor and a hazy violet fog…" She sighed. "That's all I can remember before waking up back in the box."

"Another room?" Naoto mumbled, putting a hand to her chin. "Perhaps that means that this box is a transporter of some sort?"

"Maybe it takes people to another world," Narukami muttered. Yukiko looked over at Rise.

"How did you know to stop the box?" She asked the red-head. Rise put a hand to her heart.

"I…I'm not sure. Something just felt _wrong_," she said.

Aila looked up at Kanji thoughtfully. "Um…Kanji?"

"Yeah?" He muttered.

"You can put me down now."

A light flush came over his cheeks and he swiftly dropped Aila on her feet. "S-sorry!"

"Why, what lovely fans!" Someone called to them. Everyone spun around and tensed up at the sight of Mr. Top. His eyes seemed to be less energetic and more tight. His lips held a smile, but the rest of his countenance held a very annoyed aura. "Sneaking into my cart to get an autograph?"

His black eyes found Aila and Yosuke pushed her slightly behind him, taking her hand in his. She held it firmly

"We were just curious about something," Naoto cut in, drawing the magician's attention to her. "That trick you did with this box was amazing. How did you summon such a terrifying creature?" Mr. Top gave her a dark smile.

"A magician never reveals his secrets."

"It's a very talented trick," Naoto pressed. "Surely, you got the idea from someone very wise and skilled." Mr. Top laughed.

"I created it myself, dear. No one has ever been able to replicate it.

"Fascinating. Then why aren't you traveling worldwide? Surely, an act like yours has been offered the chance."

Top narrowed his eyes. "You're quite the little interrogator, detective."

"Not at all. I'm merely an interested observer."

"Hmph. Well, the answer to your question is simply that Inaba has a very special place in my old, tired heart." He looked over at Aila. "My dear, I must deeply apologize for startling you as I did. I was actually hoping that I'd get to see you again. I want to give you something to make up for the scare I gave you…" He went over to the small white rabbit, picking up the cage and holding it out to the brunette. "Please, take this poor creature and give him a better home that I have."

Before being subtly shooed out of the cart, Aila had a rabbit shoved into her hand. When they were outside, she stared down at it for a few minutes.

"Huh…" She muttered. Then, despite everything else, she gained a small smile and a light blush. "He's pretty cute…" Magic wiggled is tiny pink nose at her.

The Investigation Team felt that, with no other leads to go off of, it was time to go home.


End file.
